Exploring the Human – Part 1

What does it mean to be human?

Attending the Conference

In November, some CPS members had the opportunity to attend the Forming a Christian Mind Study Day in Cambridge entitled “Exploring the Human”. The day revolved around discussing the nature of our humanity, and seeking to maintain a robustly Christian view of “the human” as we work in and with a western culture with a different account. Whilst many in the west uphold the autonomy of the human as one of the highest goods in society, and pursue the absence of suffering in all facets of life, the Christian would see that the basis of our humanity comes from being created “in the image of God” (Gen 1:27). We were able to unpack this idea in subject specific seminars on AI in healthcare and the sexual revolution to name a few.

So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27 (NIV)

Protestant Anthropology

A standout talk for me was on ‘Resourcing Protestant Anthropology: Living the Good Life’ by Dr James Eglinton. We were led through some of the thoughts of Charles Taylor in his book ‘Sources of the Self’ (a key resource throughout the day), specifically on the protestant doctrines of Justification and Sanctification. Justification being an act of God by which those who are unrighteous in themselves are nevertheless declared righteous before God, and sanctification being the continual process by which God makes believers more Christlike. Taylor argues that the source of identity in all moral frameworks could be framed by the questions

• What is the highest good I can achieve in life?
• How far am I from achieving it?

Whilst many in our wider culture might fall into ‘secular antinomianism’ (self-justification with no need of sanctification) or ‘secular legalism’ (seeking justification through sanctification), the Christian maintains that we are justified by grace alone through faith alone, that when God sees us, he sees Christ’s perfection imputed onto us, made possible through his death on the cross. And yet whilst our lived experience is far from the perfect life of Christ, daily the Christian is sanctified, being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory (2 Cor 3:18). These questions can help us in our evangelism as we seek to first understand our friends/colleagues moral frameworks, and then to better explain the glory of what Christ has done on the cross!

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)

It was such a joy to meet many Christian academics from other universities, and the day was a great precursor to the following conference in February!